


And The Scales Fell From His Eyes

by Reis_Asher



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bittersweet, Execution, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Heart Attacks, Love Confessions, M/M, Regret, Season/Series 03, Soulmates, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:48:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25332694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reis_Asher/pseuds/Reis_Asher
Summary: The court doesn't find Hannibal insane, and he is sentenced to die by lethal injection.Will, thinking he's over Hannibal, goes to witness his execution in hopes of laying his lingering feelings to rest. Instead he finds the bond between them glows as strong as ever, and the embers of his love burn the lies of his life to ash.Trapped in regret, Will realizes that he was right back at the gallery - he and Hannibal are conjoined, and he cannot hope to survive without his soulmate.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 5
Kudos: 69





	And The Scales Fell From His Eyes

Will entered the execution chamber's witness gallery and took a seat in the front row, butterflies in his stomach as he laid eyes on the empty gurney on the other side of the glass. Freddie Lounds' eyes were fixed on Will from a few seats down, but he didn't acknowledge her. He didn't need her fake sympathy, and he resented her presence here, in the last intimate moment he would ever share with Hannibal Lecter. No doubt she'd dramatize it for TattleCrime, make their relationship seem tawdry and inappropriate. They were not, as she'd put it, "murder husbands". 

Not any more, anyway, though there had been a time when every part of him had yearned for a life with Hannibal. They'd had a daughter in Abigail. He'd come to close to running away with them both, but he'd betrayed Hannibal and ruined it all. Will was married to Molly, now, and she had a son. They took in every stray they could find. It was a good life. It was enough. He'd only come here to say goodbye and close the door on this chapter of his life forever.

He'd been surprised that the federal court hadn't found cannibalism to be evidence of insanity, but perhaps a jury could see Hannibal more clearly than he could when presented with the facts. Will had been charmed by the Devil, compromised by Hannibal's obvious love for him. Standing in the spotlight of Hannibal's attention, Will had once believed that he might fall over the edge into darkness with him, but he'd won their war of wills and lured Hannibal into a cage with the carrot of his own affection. It had been the right thing to do, and today would convince him of that. When they brought Hannibal out, Will would see him as the monster he was—nothing but a gaunt, soulless, diminished human being who'd tried to turn Will into his victim more than once. The scales would finally fall from Will's eyes, and he'd be able to banish the lingering doubt in his mind that he was still in love with Hannibal on some level.

Will held his breath as the door into the execution chamber opened and Hannibal was brought in. He showed no sign of resistance, and he looked well. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he caught sight of Will and their gazes locked. Will stood up and rushed to the window, placing his hand on the glass as long forgotten emotions surged to the surface. The scar on his stomach seemed to prickle with electricity, and he felt like Hannibal was driving the knife into him once more with the knowledge that he was about to leave Will's life forever.

Hannibal smiled as he was strapped to the gurney, but all Will could summon was dread. Hannibal wasn't supposed to die like this. There was nothing poetic or beautiful about dying in a clinical setting with poison in his veins. If someone was to kill him, it should have been Will. Hannibal's life wasn't the state's to take. They didn't know him. They didn't _see_ him like Will did.

He recalled sitting in the Uffizi Gallery next to Hannibal, talking about their connection as Hannibal sketched with those elegant hands of his. Will had described them as conjoined, and he'd been curious to see if they would survive separation. With distance and time, he'd come to believe he at least could, until this moment. Perhaps their bond had grown quieter, but it had still been strong enough to bring Will here, to this final moment, as if summoned to his lover’s deathbed. Now it flared brightly, their two souls still entwined at the root like they'd never been apart.

Hannibal opened his mouth to voice his last words. "When you find things maddeningly polite in your marriage, think of me, Will." Triumph shone through in his expression, and Will realized Hannibal still held all the cards. Even now, strapped down and about to die, he loomed over Will like a god. He'd found out about Will's marriage, followed his every step from prison, and he'd damned the union Will had dared to form without him. It was just like Hannibal to waste his last words on petty spite. If he couldn't live, neither could Will. Will knew those words were the death knell for his relationship, his marriage condemned by the smoldering embers of love for Hannibal still glowing brightly inside him. Hannibal would always be with him, never letting up his hold over Will's soul, and Will had to admit he didn't want to break free after all.

Will's breath fogged the glass, eyes welling up with tears as the doctors prepared the IV. Will couldn’t look away, and his composure finally broke as the doctor inserted the needle into a vein.

“Hannibal!” Will yelled, banging on the glass. “Hannibal!!!”

Hannibal’s mouth twisted into a broad smile, and Will knew he’d been heard and understood. He didn't need anything so tawdry as a declaration of love when he'd bellowed Hannibal's name from the depths of his despair, proving that Hannibal was still the most important influence in his life—and to lose him an intolerable burden.

Will leaned against the glass as Hannibal blinked a few times. His lips turned blue at the edges, and Will could almost feel his own pulse slowing. Freddie placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and Will shrugged her off, shaking his head. Shock and condemnation crossed her face as she saw his tears, and he gave her a death glare until she backed off. Guilt surged through his veins at the knowledge he’d trade Freddie’s life for Hannibal’s in a heartbeat, and he knew there was something wrong with him for wanting to go back in time and kill her for real. Maybe then the teacup could have come together again.

The doctor checked his watch and called the time of death. Will could only stare at Hannibal’s body, motionless on the gurney. Hannibal’s face was handsome and dignified, even in death. Will would never again see those lovingly cared for hands prepare a meal, nor enjoy one of their discussions in Hannibal's office. He wouldn’t be able to hear Hannibal's voice, his accent speaking of a place where the body of Misha's killer hung in beautiful repose, still waiting for Hannibal to come home and see Will’s tribute. Will was sure he was bleeding out, mortally wounded by the loss of all the things Hannibal had brought to his life. His marriage to Molly was a sham, in hindsight, a continuation of the lies he'd told everyone his entire life. That he was a simple family man who liked the company of dogs, not a killer with a deep-seated desire to share in Hannibal's world.

It should have been him on the gurney, sentenced to death for disguising his true nature. Hannibal was the only one who'd known him for who he really was, who laid eyes on him without judgment, who met his true form with desire instead of disgust, and now Hannibal was dead, Will was condemned, too—sentenced to live out the lie he'd told for the rest of his natural life. He'd told Hannibal a normal life was what he wanted so many times that the universe had given him his stated wish, and he only now saw it for the monkey's paw that it was.

Will's rational brain tried to tell him that Hannibal's execution was justice for the victims of the Chesapeake Ripper, but it didn’t feel just. It felt like his heart had been torn out of his chest. Like a vital artery had been sliced and he was bleeding out all over the floor. Again. Only worse this time, because there was no way to ever bring this teacup back together. He'd angrily smashed it on the floor and watched Hannibal turn himself in. His revenge tasted bitter in his mouth, not an ounce of sweetness to be found in it, like over-steeped tea.

“Will.” Freddie’s tone was sympathetic as she addressed him, and he could almost believe for a moment that she was concerned. He brushed past her, feeling lightheaded as he ran for the exit. He was going to be sick. In fact, he didn’t feel well at all. He’d broken out in a cold sweat, and his breaths felt shallow and unsatisfying. A sense of impending doom seeped through his veins like the poison they’d pumped into Hannibal’s.

He didn't make it to the door before he collapsed, clutching his chest. His heart was being squeezed. He couldn't breathe. Pain surged through his left arm. The wardens flocked to his side, but he pushed them away. He knew he was dying and there was a chance he might yet be saved, but he didn't _want_ to live without Hannibal.

Perhaps his death had been inevitable from the moment he'd set foot in this room. As much as he'd tried to deny it, he and Hannibal were soulmates. It was only fitting that they should die together, Will unable to survive the severance of their bond—just as he had predicted. The lines between them had blurred so much that Hannibal being put to death had resulted in his heart stopping as well. It was the kind of poetry Hannibal would have liked.

The scales had fallen from Will's eyes, but not in the way he'd imagined. The truth he'd revealed was the real nature of himself and his love for Hannibal. He was a killer at heart, and Hannibal was his true love. They might have been magnificent together, if only he'd allowed himself to see it sooner. Now all he could summon was regret for the path not traveled. He could only hope that their bond would endure through lifetimes, and he'd get another chance to stand naked before Hannibal and pledge his loyalty.

A sense of peace washed over him like a wave on the shore as he remembered being cradled in Hannibal's arms, bleeding out from the wound in his gut. He heard Hannibal's voice, urging him to wade into the quiet of the steam. Hannibal was on the other side, as was Abigail. He could finally run away with them.

Will complied with Hannibal's wish and closed his eyes, letting death take him into its embrace.


End file.
